Man charged after threatening to kill baby with a knife

A domestic disturbance involving a couple and their two-month-old baby at a Mount Pleasant residence last month led to a number of criminal charges Monday in Racine County Circuit Court against a 28-year-old man.

Stephen Joseph Trinidad faces felony counts of false imprisonment, failure to comply with an officer’s attempt to take a person into custody, first-degree recklessly endangering safety and child neglect, along with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct with the use of a dangerous weapon.

The felonies carry a maximum fine of $55,000 and 25 years, six months in prison, while the misdemeanor carries a fine of $1,000 and 90 days in county jail.

According to the criminal complaint:Mount Pleasant police responded to a village apartment, where they spoke to a woman, who stated the defendant came home intoxicated at about 3 a.m. While they were in the bedroom, he stated he would be happy without her, blocked her from leaving and stated he would choke her to death.

The woman eventually was able to flee to a neighbor’s apartment with her 6-year-old daughter.

When police arrived and tried to make contact with Trinidad, but he would not answer the door. The defendant was then observed on the second-floor balcony holding his 2-month old child in his left arm and a knife in his right hand.

Trinidad was seen holding the knife to his throat and then to the baby’s multiple times. At one point, he told officers he would kill the child if they came into the apartment.

Entry eventually was made and Trinidad was taken into custody.

Trinidad, who is being held on a $7,500 cash bond, is due back in court Dec. 13 for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.